23
November
2015
|
22:56
Asia/Singapore

Close to 120 students from Singapore and Asia participate in STEP-NUS Sunburst Environment Programme

Students to examine issues of food security and sustainability at annual programme

The National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Singapore Technologies Endowment Programme (STEP) today kicked off the third STEP-NUS Sunburst Environment Programme, an annualprogramme that aims to nurture environment champions among the youths of Singapore and across Asia. Close to 120 students from Singapore and 11 countries across Asia are involved in this year 's programme, which is held over five days, from 23 to 27 November 2015.

The opening ceremony of this year 's programme was graced by Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Home Affairs, as the Guest-of-Honour.

Launched in 2013, the STEP-NUS Sunburst Environment Programme is an annual event organised by STEP in partnership with the NUS Climate Change and Sustainable Environment Research Initiative hosted by the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI) and the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum (LKCNHM) at NUS. This year's programme challenges the students to address the sustainability of food production and distribution, as well as the impact of climate change on food security.

Professor Leo Tan, Chairman of STEP and Director (Special Projects) at the NUS Faculty of Science, said, "Many people today take our food supply for granted. The challenges surrounding food security and sustainability are, in fact, very serious, and if not managed carefully, they will cause a lot of problems for us and future generations. I hope that through this programme, the students can better appreciate the current challenges relating to food supply and food use, and go on to become strong advocates for this important cause. In time to come, I hope that our young environment champions will be able to contribute towards implementing local, regional and global solutions to protect our food supply."

This year, participating students aged between 13 and 15 from Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, China, India and Japan will attend lectures delivered by leading scientists in the fields of climate change, food security and sustainability. International scientists who are involved in the programme include Mr Keith Jeffery, who is from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science in the United Kingdom, and Dr Stephane Bayen from McGill University of Canada. In addition, researchers from Singapore will be sharing about the importance of food security, and measurements to ensure food sustainability.

The students will visit the Science Centre Singapore, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore 's Marine Aquaculture Centre and Sky Greens, as well as participate in nature walks conducted by NUS staff at Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve and St John 's Island. They will also visit the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at NUS to learn about conservation and the Singapore whale.

To demonstrate their awareness of green issues, participating students have been organised into teams and they will compete through written essays, oral presentations and poster presentations. The winning teams will win prizes sponsored by STEP.